Improvement in sewing-machine



'initiiert Santee HENRY A. HOUSE, CF BRIDGEPCRT, CONNECTICUT.-

Lette'rs PateatANo. 98,7 71, dated January 11, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINE.

TheSchedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ot'- the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRYA. HOUSE, of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield, and State of Cou-l necticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement iu Sewing-ll/Iachines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a sewingmachine embracing my improvements, taken through the cloth-table in direction of thev feed, mainlyas indicated by the line x x in Figure 2, which is a plan of the works below said table.

Figure 3 'is a verticalY section, at right angles to fig. 1, taken as indicated bythe line y y.

Figure 4, a sectional view of a portion of'the feeding-devices, showing a taper-pointed screw and swivelblock for adjusting and varying the feed.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section, taken as indicated by the line z 2 in fig. 3, o f a portion of the stationary arm and needle-slide or bar working therein.

'Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

My-inveution, though here shown as applied to a Wheeler: 8v Wilson machine, and, 'in some of its featn'res,tespecially adapted to `machines of that description, is, in certain respects, or so far, atleast, as, relates' to a portion of it, also applicable to sewing-machines of different kinds. It will suiice here, however, to describe the invention in connection with a Wheeler 8a Wilson machine; but, having a straight reciprocating needle-action, in place of the usual cui;-

vilinear one,.a-nd as many of the parts and motions in the machine represented in the drawing are well known and common to other of such machines, no particular or lengthy reference will here be made to them.

lTheinvention, in the main, or so -far as concerns most of its features, relates to the feed, which may be of the usual four-motion character, common to machines of the character just referred to; and among other purposes orv objects sought to be attained by it, are a more perfect noiseless action for the feed, steadier' run of the feeding-bar, and larger operating-pulley andfeed-cam than are otherwise attainable. In such connection,

The invention consists in a taper-pointed screw, in combinationwith said swivel-block, for adjusting and varying the feed. Likewise, the invention includes a forkedor yoke-like construction of the feed-bar, arranged to form an open covering or structure over the operating-pulley and feed-cam', whereby, in machines ofthe kind hereinbefore referred to, a large-1' cam and pulley may be used, thereby increasing the penetrating power or action of the needle.

Furthermore, the invention, apart from that portion of it which relates to the feed, consists 'in a combination of a sliding needle-bar, with a slit stationary arm and set-screws, for compensating for wear of said slide or its ways, as formed by the slit part of the arm. This portion of the invention is not limited to rotaryhook machines.

In fuller-description, by reference to the accompany,- ing drawings, of these several features or portions of my invention- A represents the cloth-plate or table, carried by a suitable frame, that, as well as certain of the, working part-s of the machine, it will not be necessaryhere 'to refer to by letter, as they are or may be the same as in anordinary Wheeler' &i Wilson machine, or

.others of a rotary-hook character, which, as before observed, is the description o f machine the invention is here shown applied to, and most or all of theimprovemeut-s 1 am about to describe may be applied to any old Wheeler 8v Wilson machine. l

B is the operating-pulley, and C the cam, that, in

Vconnection with aspx-ing, D, gives the usual fourfold motion to the feed-bar E, which is provided with the ordinary serrated feeding-claws a a.

-This cam C, or that portion of it which gives the horizontal motion to the feed, l cause to bear, for the 4whole depth of its surface, when the labor of effecting ,the feed takes place, on the feed-bar, or rather an appendage' thereto, and so obviate that cutting of the cam into grooves and ridges, which is incidental to previous constructions of the feed-bars bearing-surface on thc cam, and that occasions irregularity in the motion, and noise.

rlhis improved action I accomplish by' pivoting, as

at b, to the feed-bar, a swivel-block, F, of a length or depth equal to the depth of the cam C,and arrange in rear of said block, below its pivot, an ladj usting-device that serves to vary theangular presenta-tion Vof the front edge of the block, so as to cause the cam to act sooner or laterupon it, according to the required length of the feed or stitch, but insuring at all times,

'when the labor of moving the feed comes on, a full bearing for the block, for or throughout the whole -depth of the cam, or that portion of it which gives the horizontal motion to thefeed.

rlhe adj usting-device propose to use for this purpose is a taper-pointed screw, G, carried by the feedbar or attachment thereto, and ,arranged so that it bears laterally, at its taper-point, against the back of the block. l`his'forms a very graduah'smple, and efficient means for adjusting and regulating the feed, the taper point of the screw, acting laterally as dscribed, operating, in addition to the thread on the screw, tograduate the adjustment.

The lifting-cam or portion-o, of the cam C, which effects the raising and lowering-action of the feed, is7

as in another well-known noseless feed, arranged within the periphery of the cam that gives the horizontal action to the feed, but, instead of being formed sloping, as heretofore, is made straight, or parallel with its axis, on its lifting or acting-surface.

The feed-bar E,*I construct, substantially as shown in fig. 2, of a forked or open form over theoperatingpulley B and feed-cam C, which, or the cam, at least, may thus be allowed to work through it, as it were, and both pulley and cam, accordingly, be made p of larger diameters than where a close, straight bar, runningover the pulley ,and cam is used. This has the effect of increasing the penetrating power of the machine, as also of securing a more elicient feed, and, inasmuch as the rotating hook H of the machine requires to occupy a certain relative position or distance 4below the cloth-table, the same is not to be attained, without serious disadvantage, by lowering the operating-pulley shaft on which the rot-ating hook is secured,

in order that room may be made for a larger operating-pulley and feed-cam.

To prevent all noise from the feed-bar, by its strik,-c ingthe cloth-plate or table, or otherwise, as Athe same is reciprocated and`moved up and down, and to give a steadier motion to said bar, without interfering with its lifting-action, I cause the same, near its rear end,'

to be constantly pressed up against said table, by giving an oblique disposition to the sea-t al, which carries the spring D, so that the latter not only serves to throw back the feed-bar whenreleased from the cam, but, also, to keep the same in constant contact on its upper edge, (which may be arched for the purpose,) bn or against the under side of the cloth-table. v

I is the needle-arm, which, instead of operating a curved needle, I cause to Work a straight one, e, by or through a link or rod, f, and needle-bar. or slide, J, that is of double V-form, to give it a free and straight or steady action up and down ways formed in a jawlike vertical portion, K, of a stationary arm, L, that slide requires, the same may be done, oran-y desired degree of freedom insured to the slide, by suitably turning cross-screws s, which connect the opposite sides of the jaw-like or slit portion K, that, by reason of its construction, springs or yields to admit of such 4adjustment by the screws s.y .The slitted portion K, incombination with the screws s, thus forms a cheap needle-slide, and for tightening it as required, and dispenses with the adjustable guides or ways requiring to be separately fitted to their places. v

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination and arrangement of the taperpointed screw G, with the swivel-block F of the feedbar, essentially as herein set forth.

2. The arrangement, with relation to the operatingpulley B and feed-cam O, of the open-framed feedbar E, said pulley and cam projecting into the opening in the feed-bar, thereby allowing the use of a larger pulley and cam, and increasing the penetrating power of the needle, substantially as set forth.

with the stationary arm L or portion K thereof slitted, as at g, and adjusting-screws s, substantially as speciand ecient means for regulating the free play of the 3. The combination of the needle-bar. or slide J,` 

